The Jason of All Trades

BY Jeffrey Hartinger

August 10 2011 4:44 PM ET

Jason Stuart, a gay comedian who has appeared on popular shows such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Closer and has an upcoming cameo on HBO’s Entourage, talks with The Advocate
about the role sexuality plays in comedy, how his youth as a bullied gay teen ultimately helped his career, and why he wants to raise
children with Ricky Martin. Stuart is currently the national cochair
of the LGBT Committee for the Screen Actors’ Guild and can be seen this fall in
the thriller Home Invasion.

The Advocate: When did you get your start in comedy and performing?Jason Stuart: I started out with comedy during grade school; all the
kids used to make fun of me because I was gay. Like Barbra Streisand
says in Funny Girl — I know, gay guy quoting Barbra, don’t tell anybody — I made the joke first so they could laugh with me rather than at me.

Do you believe that making jokes about sexual orientation helps to educate those who are not part of the LGBT community?

When you are out, you have the power in your life and as an artist
rather than being a victim who lives in the closet. It makes my job
easier and more joyful to just be myself. Now I can talk about what I
think is funny without thinking about whether it’s “gay or not.”

You have a variety of acting roles under your belt. For
you, is there any difference between playing a gay or a straight
character?

Most of my roles are not big enough to have a sexual orientation.
However, there are all types of gay and straight characters, for that
matter. So for me, it’s about the character I am playing.